, 1887-04-21
A POTENTIAL WORD.
THRILLING ESCAPE IN A PASS OF
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. -

Waiting with Desperate CaImness for
the Tragic Catastrophe-saved by the
Utterance of n Single word-Tho Dam
ger Line Passed.
at is sometimes said that home and
mother are the most grateful and touch
ing and inspiring words known TO man, ~
remarked Il gentleman who had Just re-
turned from n trip to the far west of
America.
"Wcll, perhaps they are to the majority
of men,, " he added musinglY 'but"-with
sudden emphasis-'I know a word that is
easily chief among the 10000 words in
the imperial dictionary.
There was n general pricking of ears In
the company TO which the extraordinary
assertion was made
"I1l tell You how it was,' - he continued.
Eve were in Colorado-at Georgetown
and four CT us decided on doing the Argen-
tine pass of the Rockies, 10, 500 feet above
the sea. We started out-four of us besides
the driver-in n two horse wagon. The
ascent was steep. l will not say it was
perpendicular, but a good steep angle
couldn't touch it. Pokerish2 Well, If
some of you Detroiters who live on the
dead level and have never seen that mag
nificcnt western country could but family
imagine the real pokerishness Of that
climb you might nave something to talk
about. But the reality beats the ~liveliest
imagination.
we started out, as 1 said, and all were
In good spirits, ready to dnre anything,
and eager, on the whole, for dangerous
adventure. We climbed and struggled and
strained II toiled. Il think we actually
worked harder than the horses.) Breath
ing became n serious question with some
nf 10 YuIA -ara ,,pt,-nI 80 A.. ,,,onoI
air, but wc were having q spirited adven-
ture and didn't care much for the diff
culties of breathing.
Possibilities OF ASSIMILATION.
"When we had mounted II, 900 feet the
awful sublimity of our situation began to
impress itgeif uPc1 rs. We were not toe
ignorant to realize tho Immediate posi-
bilitic5 OF humiliation. Tbclieve some of
us said something about the almighty
majesty and the dread power of the Gre
ator Of Il scene that could so overwhelm
MS with awe and force down our threats,
as 1t were, n conviction of our own help
less md pitiful insignificance.
suddenly we began to feel n Vague
sense of danger. What was it? we asked
ourselves. The ladies of our party were
livid. 1 felt u despairing sinking, though
| spoke some words that were meant to be
rcnssuriug to my fellow travellers. Still
that awful something held us in it's clutch.
Another instant and we knewi Mcrciful
God! The horses had become exhausted,
and the weight of the wagon and of its
humnn load was pulling them down.
''NVhat wa to be our fatc?, We should
certainly he klled-horribty mangled,
may lie.
Il don't know how many deaths we
G.cd in these supreme hours-seconds,
/ mean; but / 60 know that | a given
myself up for lost and that | waited for
the TRAGIC catastrophe with desperate
%calruness. Heavensi How long lived
in those fearful secondsl Imagination,
swifter than lash of lightning, saw my
W funeral; saw the group of black clad
and weeping mourners; saw my fatherless
children coming year after year to my
grave-and L don't know how many
equally cheering visions.
'Hubbuckp
happened The horses gave a lurch for
ward. Our descent was checked.
'uubbuckr
"Hurrahl God be praisedl We were
moving up tho treacherous steep again.
The danger line was passed. 'Hubbuck'
lad saved u lives"
'Hubbuck9" queried one of the eager
listeners. "What in blazes do you mean
by Hubbuck2"
BLESS me If | know was the travel
er's reply. IAN that L can fell about it is
that's nat the driver yelled at his horses
when they made that forward lurch. And
to this day l think Hubbuck the best and
the most moving word in any language
the human tongue ever wrestled with. -
Detroit Free Press.